Fm 31 28 Fouo Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat 1 December 1999 25 Today

FM 31-28, dated 1 December 1999, establishes the foundational doctrine for the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat (SFAUC) program, training 12-man ODAs in high-intensity urban operations . The curriculum, often designated for official use, covers advanced Close Quarters Battle (CQB), breaching, specialized marksmanship, and insertion techniques . For an example of current training, view this DVIDS video. News - SFAUC Course - DVIDS

  • Training and Rehearsal: The manual stresses the importance of:

    SF teams may employ a variety of tactics in urban combat, including: FM 31-28, dated 1 December 1999, establishes the

    Close Quarter Combat (CQB): Room clearing and shoothouse drills. Training and Rehearsal: The manual stresses the importance

    Introduction In the landscape of late 20th-century military doctrine, few publications were as anticipated or as necessary as FM 31-28 (ARC): Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat. Published on December 1, 1999, and marked FOUO (For Official Use Only), this manual represented a critical pivot in United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets) training. The Urban Guerrilla Primer: It taught that in

    Advanced Marksmanship: Intense training with rifles, pistols, and shotguns on flat ranges to ensure precision under pressure.

    1. The Urban Guerrilla Primer: It taught that in a city, the population is the terrain. Every floor above ground floor is a flank, every basement is a rear area.
    2. Small Team Autonomy: Unlike conventional manuals that assume battalion logistics, FM 31-28 detailed how an ODA could live off an urban grid for 90 days – using tap water, scavenged power, and internet cafes (circa 1999).
    3. FOUO as a Middle Ground: It set a precedent for sensitive-but-unclassified TTPs that are still used today for breaching, technical surveillance, and underground ops.

    Publication Date: 1 December 1999

    Coming off the heels of operations in Somalia (Mogadishu) and preparing for the conflicts of the 21st century, this manual bridged the gap between traditional wilderness guerrilla warfare and the realities of modern, built-up environments.